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(No Model.)

W. F. JEANS. Spreader for Thrashing Machines.

No. 240,723. Patented April 26,1881.

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directions, in the same manner as if the at- UNITED STATES,

PATENT" OFFIGEQ WILLIAM F. JEANS, or WOODLAND, CALIFORNIA,

SPREADER FOR TH RASHlNG-MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No..240,723, dated April 23, 1881. Application filed October 21, 1880. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM FRANCIS JEANS, a citizen of the United States, residin g at Woodland, in the county of Yolo and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Spreaders for Thrashing-Machines, of which thefollowin g is a specification.

My invention relates to the class of devices which distribute the grain as it is fed over the feed-belt to the thrashing-cylinder, and performing functions previously done by the hand of an attendant. The objects of myimprovements are, first, to providethe feeding apparatus with two or more forks of depending fingers connected for simultaneous vibration in opposite directions over the endless apron, feed-belt, or draper for the grain, and within the body of the grain fed thereby, whereby the grain is spread evenly, in a manner like that of the spreading with two hands, and with perfect regularity, and whereby the trembling or rocking of the feed belt bed and elevator-frame is prevented; and, second, to provide means for adjusting the vibrating fingers at different heights, so that at all times they act to partially lift and to spread the grain, to lessen the work of the team or power and the wear and tear upon the drapcr. I attain these objects by the construction hereinafter described, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings,in which Figure 1 represents a view in perspective,

showing the spreader proper and its relation to the elevator and stack; and Fig. 2 is avertical longitudinal section of the spreader proper and its frame.

In these drawings like letters indicate like parts throughout the several figures, A being the inclined bed or frame of the spreader; (.l, the inclined apron which carries the grain from the stack to the spreader. As the grain is carried down the inclined apron to the spreader the depending fingers a a a spread it out by simultaneously vibrating in opposite tend-ant were using his two hands for that purpose, the grain being moved along by an endless belt or draper, b, which passes around drums c c in the spreader-bed A, operated by pulleys d d, driven by the powerbelt.

Pivoted in the sides of the frame A are standards or arms 6 e, in which the shafts f f, which carry the depending fingers a a a, are journaled. To these-standards or arms braces g g are pivoted, and made adjustableby screws or otherwise in side guides or loops, h h, which construction permits the fingers to be raised or lowered at will, to preserve their relation to the depth or amount of grain on the draper or feed-belt. The shafts ff are alternately crankedone, f, upon one side, the.other,f upon the other side, of the bed-frame A-to connect with jointed rods k k, operated by oppositely-arranged cranks 1 ton the pulley-shaf t Z, which jointed rods connect with the cranks ff of the finger-shafts. This causes the fingers to vibrate at the same time in opposite directions, thus obtaining the advantages sought and hereinbefore stated.

A cross-belt connects the operating-pulleys d and imparts motion to the vibrating fingers through the connecting-rods, while the pulley d is driven from the prime motor.

The apparatus is arranged to feed the grain in to the thrasher in the usual manner, being connected with and forming a continuation of the table of the thrashing-cylinder.

l have shown the arms (2 e, which carry the finger-shafts, as being upwardly inclined and the braces g g as being pivoted thereto and downwardly inclined, and this arrangement is to allow of the vertical adjustment of the vibrating fingers in the arc of a circle, so as not to interfere with the jointed-rod connections with the double-crank shaft 1 and with the cranks of the finger-shafts.

From this construction it will be observed that thefingers are caused to vibrate vertically toward and from each other within the grain as it is fed down by the travel of the carrier, and that in such vibrations the fingers havea rising movement both ways, and thus tend to lift the grain in both their strokes without retarding its proper feed by the carrier, the design being to spread out the sheaves the bands of which have been previously cut, so that it may enter the cylinder evenly, and thus facilitate the thrashing.

Having described my invention, I claiml. In a feeding-spreader for thrashing-machines, the separate rock-shafts f f, having depending fingers a a, and connected to each other, and adapted to be rocked to cause the fingers'to vibrate simultaneously toward each other as the shafts are rocked in one direction and simultaneously away from each other as the shafts are rocked in the opposite direction, substantially as described, for the purpose specified;

2. In a spreader for the feed-belts of thrashing-machines, the combination, with the operating-pulleys d d, of the spreadin g-fin gers a (t a, depending from pivoted standards or arms 0 0 above the be1t,the pivoted braces g g, jointed rods 70 7c, and the cranked shafts f f of said fingers, whereby the latter are vibrated in opposite directions, as and for the purpose set forth.

WILLIAM FRANCIS JEANS.

Witnesses:

THOMAS J. J EANS, THos. P. HARDEN. 

